EA Makes a Bid for Take-Two with Strong Corporate Connections

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace)-- Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) made a $2 billion offer for Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ: TTWO), a move that would cut the competition between the video game publishers.

Yesterday EA announced that it was making the unsolicited cash bid of $26 a share for Take-Two, despite the rejection of last week’s takeover proposal. EA appears to be adamant about a deal and will likely continue to push for consolidation, especially considering that the merger of Activision Inc and Vivendi SA created an even greater rival with the birth of Activision Blizzard Inc.

It’s Now Official: Microsoft Vows to Fight for Yahoo Buyout

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace) -- As the media reported that Yahoo was preparing for layoffs, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) officially responded to the rejection of its $44.6 billion bid by Yahoo! Inc’s (NASDAQ:YHOO) Board of Directors and vowed to continue its efforts by taking the buyout offer directly to Yahoo’s shareholders.

Microsoft’s response came in the form of a press release posted on its website.

“It is unfortunate that Yahoo! has not embraced our full and fair proposal to combine our companies,” the statement says.

The company suggests that it’s already begun to lay the groundwork for a shareholder fight by suggesting that it’s been in contact with some of the parties:

Connections Between Google and Yahoo Create Alliance Against Microsoft

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace )-- Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) may be far from rivaling Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) in a takeover of Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO), though that likely won’t stop the web giant from becoming deeply involved in the situation.

No counter offers have yet been made to challenge Microsoft’s unsolicited $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo, which could potentially make the deal a sure thing and boost Microsoft’s web presence as a serious competitor to Google. Due to regulatory concerns, it is doubtful that Google will make a competing offer,  however the company could be strategizing other manuevers to keep Microsoft from acquiring Yahoo.

In order to identify how the companies may be collaborating to challenge Microsoft, NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map of the notable relationships held between key Directors and Executives at Yahoo and Google.

Will Yahoo’s New Chairman Push For A Deal With Microsoft?

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace )-- As Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO) decides its next move in light of Friday’s $44.6 billion takeover offer from Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT), the board may be relying heavily on the dealmaking expertise of new its new Chairman, Roy J Bostock.

After being appointed as Chairman of Yahoo on Thursday night, Bostock quickly had to jump into the responsibility of deciding how to responding to Microsoft's offer. Given his past experience in corporate takeovers and sales, the timing of Bostock’s appointment comes just in the nick of time.

An IntellectSpace Knowledge Map created by NewsVisual illustrates the past and current connections that make Bostock a valuable asset to Yahoo in this critical period. He is a Director at Northwest Airlines, which is currently in the middle of deal talks with Delta Airlines, and was also involved in leading companies that were eventually sold to become Bcom3.

Google To Team Up With Yahoo To Challenge Microsoft

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace )-- Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt, in an effort to thwart Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) takeover attempts of Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO), has reached out to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang.

On Friday, Microsoft made a $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo; an obvious attempt at challenging rival Google’s dominant status in web business. Analysts are doubtful that Google could be interested in its own deal with Yahoo, primarily because of regulatory concerns, though Microsoft shouldn’t consider itself in the clear. Speculation among insiders suggests that Google could use its reach to prevent Microsoft from having an easy time of acquiring Yahoo, by influencing others to make competing offers. A partnership such as this with Google could also help keep Yahoo independent.

Microsoft and Google Exchange Barbs over Yahoo Bid

During the weekend, Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) traded angry statements over last week’s $44.6 billion bid by the latter to buy Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ: YHOO).

Given the fact that the two statements were issued by both companies’ top legal officers, the statements could be interpreted as a harbinger of future court battles between the two technology titans.

Google fired the first shot over the bow on Sunday at 11:45am when it uploaded a press release onto its website:

“Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions,” wrote Google’s Chief Legal Officer, Senior Vice President David Drummond, in the release.

“This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation,” he added.

Murdoch is Undeniable as Top Deal-Maker of 2007

As 2007, characterized by countless mergers, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, hostile takeovers and credit turmoil, comes to a close, one individual can arguably be recognized as the year’s king of deal-making. Though his methods may have been controversial, Rupert Murdoch made big news during his highly publicized attempt at taking over Dow Jones; a difficult feat considering the company was controlled by the decidedly uncooperative Bancroft family. Credited by The New York Times DealBook as having once again achieved the impossible by purchasing “virtually the only asset in the world that wasn’t for sale,” Murdoch certainly proved his top ranking as the unofficial deal-maker of 2007 (see article by Andrew Ross Sorkin).

NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map of Murdoch’s personal connections to major corporate entities and organizations, including certain family ties that may also prove to aid in his continued corporate triumphs.